James w



A(No Model.) l J. W. MGKINNON.

GAR FENDER.

PatentedA Dec. 26, 1893.

ms Nmus PETERS ca., wAsmNcrD/l, D. c.

Uni'rnn Sterns "Partant Ortisei,

AMES lV, MCKINNON, OF NE\V YORK, N. il., ASSIGNOR OF 'i`\\'O'l `llIlil H'10 SARAH B. NCLEOD AND ANN M. IKHVNS, OF SAME lliAill.

CARHFENDER.

SPEGIFXQATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 511,640, dated December26, 1893.

Application and August 4,1893. stanno. 482.367.' (Nomaden To @ZZ whomit. may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES W. McKinnon, of New York city, in the countyand Stateof New York, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Fender, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in car fenders, and ithas for itsobject `to provide a fender' capable` of being attached to any form oftram can-and of being expeditiously and conveniently raised clear fromthe track for a predetermined distance, or lowered to sweep any obstacleor object from the track. I

A further object of the invention is yto so construct the fender that:it will act in the ca'- pacity of a pilotl for van engine, removing ob-Jects from the track and preventing them from passing under the cars orremaining in the path of the wheels.

A further object of the invention is to construct the fender with ayielding bottom surface, and to provide a' means for attaching 'thefender to a car mainly through the me- 2 5 dium of cushions.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a fender which will besimple, durable and economic in its construction.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a longitudinal section through the improved fender andthrough a portion of the car to which it is applied, the section beingtaken practically on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a bottom planView ofthe fender and a portion of the car; and Fig. 3 is a detail view,illustrating the manner of locking a foot lever when it is employed inthe manipulation of the fender.

In carrying out the invention the fender A is given practically theshape of the end porf tion of the car, and may be made to extend as faras desired in the direction of the ccnter of the car. The fender isordinarily some what of horseshoe or oblong shape, and its side sectionsl0 are usually made straight, while its front section l1 is made more.or less inclined or tapering from the top downward and outward. Thebody of the fender may be made of any suitable or approved material;usually it is made of woven wire, as shown in the '.drawings, or ofinterlaced or plaited wire rods or bars; or any material may be employedin its construction which willbe light and durable as well as strong.

A network body is attached to a frame l2, andthe said frame comprises anupper rod and a lower rod, the two being connected at the rear and atthe front and intermediate of these points through the medium of connecting bars i3, the upper rod or bar of the frame being designated as 14and the lower one as l5. The inner ends of the side sections of thefender arehinged or pivotally connected with the car bottom, as shown at16 in the drawings; and a brace rod' or bar 17, is ordinarily employedto directly connect the forward portion of the body of the fender withthe forward portion of the car. The connecting rod or bar 17 is pivotcdor hinged to the under surface of the car at any desired point infrontof the forward axle, as shown best at 18 in Figs. 1 and 2, and the outerend 'of this connecting rod or bar is bifurcated, and the members arepivotally attached to the inside of the body of the fender at each sideof its central forward surface, as is best shown in Fig. 2.

Spring cushions l5, are

. S5 employed as a further connection. between the car and its fender.These cushions are of any suitable or approved construction', and may belocated either above the car platform or bottom, or 9o below it, as inpractice may be found most desirable. Then the cushions are locatedbelow the car bottom or platform, they are constructed as shown at theright in Fig'. l,

in which it will be observed that lugs 20, are formed upon the body ofthe fender, one below the other', and a pin or post 2l, is secured inthe hottom of the car, and is passcdlooscly down through the lugs '120upon the body of the fender, and a spring 22, is then coiled around thepin or stud 2l between the said lugs-20. It will thus be seen that whenthefender is lowered at its forward end the springs 22 will becompressed, and when tho fender is released from downward tension thesprings will act to assist in restoring the fender to its upper ornormal position.

When the cushions are located above the car bottom or platform, they maybe constructed as illustrated at the left in Fig. 1, in which the'postor pin 23, is seourcd'to the upper portion of theframe of the tender andis passed upward through a suitable opening inthe platform of the car,for example, and through a lug 24, located upon the dash-'board of theplatform, or any convenient support,

and a spring 25,-is coiled around the pin or post 23, having bearingupon the platform and against the lug 24.

A brush or broom 26, is securedto lthe bottom surface ofthe fender atthe front and'at a portion of itsside snrfaces,tl1e' brush being adaptedto strike the surface of the ground between the rails, and to run uponthe rails when the fender is lowered, and thus remove Veven smallobstacles that may lie in the pathV In lthe construction of the fender a'rubber cushlon may be, and preferably is located at the outer edge ofthe fender at the bottoni,

especially at the front and sides adjacent to the front, in orderthat'shonld the fender strike a human being the cushion will'eause theshock to be lessened, and likewise prevent serious .injury to theperson.

The fender may be raised and .lowered in many ways, but a lever 27, isordinarily employed for the purpose. Thislever may be a hand lever, asshown in Fig.` 1, or afoot lever, as shown in Fig. 2. The lever shown isof the elbow or crank type, and'is pivoted at the extremity of onemember to the central inner portionof the fender at the front, and at.the junction of its two members the lever is fnlcrnmed in a suitablesupport 28,

. projected downward from the bottom of the car, While the verticalmember, when the lever is a hand leverfis carried upward withinconvenient reach of the driver for example, and is provided with a thumblatch 29, for engagement with a rack 30, or other form of keepenlocatedupon a fixed support. When the lever is a foot lever the rack mayconsist of a plate 31, having a slot'8 2,'formed in it,

. in which the lever has movement, and pockets 33 at the ends of theslot, which will lock the lever either' when it has forced the fenderdownward or has lifted it upward. l

i It will be understood that sni'icient piay is allowed for at thepivots through the medium of which the fender is connected with the car.

This device is exceedingly simple, itis durablc and (-;c 'nuin1'ii andit. is capable of ben ing expeditiously and conveniently applied to anyform of tram car; as heretofore stated,it may be manipulatedexpeditiously and conveniently in a manner to drop it down close to thetrack, or thesurface between the rails of a track when any obstacle isin front of the car whichit is desirable to remove without stopping thecar; furthermore, withavfender of the described type, personsmiscalculating the speed ol the car and attempting to cross the trackunder such miscalculatiom' will not be injured to any appreciable extentif struck by the fender. When the car is in. its usual running order,the' fender is held a predetermined distance above thesurracebctweeirtherails Of the track.

It will be understood that the litt llever 27 may be of any desiredform, and'thatin practice it is proposed to carry the lever as close tothe dash board as-possible.

Having thus described my invention, I

-claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- i 1. A fenderadapted for pivotal or hingedv engagement with vth'ecar at its rearends, f'

spring cushions carried by the fender and adapted to be interposedbetween it and the car, and an adjusting mechanism connected with theforward portion of the fender, whereby it may be raised and lowered, 4asand for the purpose specified.

2. A fender for cars, the same being adapted to extendfrom a point nearthe forward axle of a car along the'sides and across the ends, thefender having a hinge at its rear end adapted for attachment to the car,an adjusting device connected with the forward end of the fender wherebyit is raised and lowered, said adjusting device being adapted to beoperated from the car, the lower forward portion of the fender beingprovided with a brush surface, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a car, of a fender extending a predetermineddistance along the sides and across the front, the rea-r ends of thefender being hinged to the bottom portion of the car, spring cushionsconnecting the' fender with the car at its forward portionand betweensaid forward portion tom of the car spring cushions connecting reg thesides and foi-ward portionof the fender ing'devioes for the lever,l anda. yielding botwith the body ofithe car, normally holding tom formedupon the fender, as and for the the fender in an upper position andpei'mtpurpose sot forth. ting of its downward. movement, aJ lift leverJAMES XV. MOKINNON.

5 adapted to extend upward through the bot- Witnesses: f

tom of the car, fulerumed to a xed support J. F. AOKEP., and pivotallyconnected with the fender, lockl E. M. CLARK.

